Aereo Chromecast Support Coming May 29th

Aereo will be adding Chromecast support to its Android app come May 29th. It is already available on iOS, Roku, desktop web browsers on Android as a beta app. The beta has been around since October and supports devices that run Android 4.1.1 or higher firmware. For now, Chromecast support is only being added to the Android application. For those who don’t know, Chromecast is a popular $35 HDMI dongle from Google that lets users beam content from their computers and mobile devices to a television.

Interestingly, apart from Roku, Chromecast is one of the first devices to offer direct access to Aereo. Users have had to largely rely on its website to access the service. Aereo lets users stream local channels in 11 markets, for now, including CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS and Fox and even record 20 hours of programming to a cloud based DVR. All for $8 per month. Chromecast support will allow beaming of live TV as well as DVR programming from the cloud through an Android phone or tablet.

However, before that happens, Aereo will have to wait and see what the United States Supreme Court decides. Broadcast networks such as CBS and ABC have sued Aereo claiming that it violates existing retransmission and copyright laws. In lower courts Aereo fared well, but ultimately it will be the Supreme Court’s decision that decide its fate. The hearing takes place later this month.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: chromecast